ML Chapter 10

After walking about ten minutes, we arrived at the cliff blocking the rear of the Taiyuan Jin Family compound. There’s a huge cavern opening. Someone stood before it.

“Hmm, you’ve come?”

A grizzly bear-like build with a dignified tone.

Jin Wi-gyeong. I awkwardly bowed my head.

“Hello… brother.”

Jin Wi-gyeong is an awkward existence. Not only did I suddenly get an NPC family, but he’s also extremely interested in me.

Look at that, trying so hard not to show it because others are watching.

But look closely and his eyes are moistening.

Is this emotional sensitivity for real?

Though his appearance could make even a triad boss back down, I don’t know why all these game characters are such oddballs.

“As Lesser Family Head and Acting Family Head, I can no longer overlook your conduct and order closed-door training. Do you have anything to say?”

Of course I do.

But this is a rigged game. On the way to the Training Hall, Wi-peng explained how things work. There’s a power struggle between factions in the Taiyuan Jin Family, and Jin Wi-gyeong is acting as my shield.

So this forced closed-door training is, well, just for show.

‘You needed training space anyway, didn’t you? Just bear with it for three days.’

Recalling Wi-peng’s final words, I bowed my head pretending to be repentant.

“I’ll accept my punishment.”

The advantage of this play is that the lines are short. Jin Wi-gyeong recited the final line with pitiful eyes.

“Lock the criminal in the Training Hall. The release date will be announced later.”

No sooner had he finished than two warriors guarding the Training Hall entrance came to grip my arms. The play is over, time for exit.

I stood at the Training Hall entrance.

• Everything you need has been provided. My youngest, don’t overdo it.

With Jin Wi-gyeong’s sound transmission, I took my first step.

***

The Training Hall was, in a word, a cave.

An artificial cave carved into the cliff. High, wide. And damp.

Splash splash

Following the Training Hall warrior, how long did we walk? Just as I was wondering whether I was wearing leather shoes or wet rags, a massive iron door appeared.

Wow… My mouth fell open at the sight. Filling the passage completely, it looked less like a door and more like a wall forbidding all entry.

The guiding warrior held up a torch and shouted.

“Open gate!”

Creeeeak

The massive iron door slowly opened its maw. Not some “open sesame” magic spell—just an NPC who was waiting pulled a protruding opening mechanism, but the sight was overwhelming.

And when the interior came into view.

“Whoa.”

This time even I couldn’t hide my escaping exclamation.

Though when first entering the Training Hall I’d imagined a damp underground cave…

“What is all this?”

A wide bed with feel-good fur blankets. Instead of damp, uneven stone floor, clean gray ground stretches out.

Cement… no, obviously not, limestone maybe?

Except for the chill in the air—no, even considering that, the environment is better than imagined.

This is punishment?

As I looked around dazedly, a fake cough sounded from behind.

Turning around, it was the Training Hall warrior who guided me.

“Everything needed has been provided. Then I’ll take my leave.”

Creeeeak. Watching the iron door slowly close, I suddenly remembered the sound transmission heard at the Training Hall entrance.

‘Everything you need has been provided. Take care, youngest.’

Ah, that was an NPC’s heart thinking of his brother.

This unworthy user weeps openly.

***

It happens plenty in reality too. High-ranking officials who commit corruption entering prosecutors’ offices in wheelchairs, checking into hospital VIP rooms to avoid investigation.

Though slightly different, I’m in a similar situation now. I looked around the Training Hall VIP room with a moved expression.

“So this is the life of a golden spoon.”

The graphics and AI aren’t the only realistic things. No matter how skilled you are, it contains the social message that being born with a silver spoon is best.

God, what would I have done without this character? Father is Family Head, eldest brother is Lesser Family Head, and second brother is a martial arts genius. Free to be a pleasure house junkie.

This bastard Jin Tae-kyung…

Turns out he was a great sage who understood the ways of the world at a young age.

Trembling at the realistic god-tier spoon system, I walked around the 3,000-square-foot Training Hall. And found the “essentials” the Training Hall warrior mentioned.

First, food.

Food was stored divided between two jars. Looking inside, rice balls giving off a strong medicinal smell.

[Superior Fasting Pill]^[1]

• Type: Pill 
• Grade: First-rate 
• Description: A fasting pill crudely packed with all sorts of good medicines. Recovers vitality when consumed, additional effects from long-term use.

“Ah, so this is the famous fasting pill?”

I’ve seen it often in martial arts novels. Light and compact so easy to carry, plus provides nutrition. The other jar was also full of fasting pills.

Better put these in inventory first.

Grabbing the jars with both hands, I muttered.

“Item acquire.”

If someone else saw this, they’d fall over in shock. Two perfectly normal jars just vanished into thin air.

I looked contentedly at the jars stored in my inventory.

That solves the food problem.

The second essential I found was water. Since the Training Hall interior is properly a cave, cold underground spring water in one corner solved the drinking water problem.

And finally, the third.

“Hmm.”

A weapon rack with several weapons hung in a row. Naturally, the first thing I grabbed was a solid-looking wooden spear.

Item appraise.

Ding.

[Training Wooden Spear]

Type: Weapon Grade: Third-rate Description: Made for beginners.

“Oh.”

A training wooden spear made for beginners. Perfect for my current self. Just one more thing would make it perfect.

“Inventory open.”

Grinning, I took out the manual marked [Jin Family’s Spear Arts] from my inventory.

Ding.

• Would you like to learn [Jin Family’s Spear Arts]? (3 / 10)

“Obviously yes.”

I really like the system. Sometimes I even love it.

***

I first learned it yesterday while learning Jin Family’s Footwork Arts. That system notifications aren’t just a single ding.

And how annoying that sound can be.

• Movement failed.
• Remaining successes needed (2 / 100)

Failure message. The system window that unfailingly appears when you mess up. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it.

I looked at the [Training Wooden Spear] in my hand.

Thought wrong.

Maybe because it’s wooden, it’s light. Whether thrusting or swinging, it moves quickly however you want. That’s the problem.

Too light, hard to control.

Fine adjustments are difficult so I keep slipping up. The damn strict system won’t overlook such minor mistakes.

Beep

• Movement failed.
• Remaining successes needed (5 / 100)

“Oh fuck this.”

Finally I threw down the [Training Wooden Spear] and took out [Sharp Spear] from my inventory.

The length and shaft thickness roughly match the spear I used in reality.

But why didn’t I take it out from the start?

“Fucking heavy, seriously.”

Being solid steel, the weight is no joke. By feel, it approaches 110 pounds of monster.

Swinging this around for hours would destroy my stamina.

My current level is second-rate—even with the system’s help, swinging around something heavier than a rice bag like a pinwheel is impossible.

Not like tiger strength is suddenly going to well up…

That’s when I had the thought.

“…Huh?”

What did I just say? Tiger strength?

“There is some!”

This is a game. There’s a system and stats. And Inner Force.

Ten years of Inner Force that can be drawn out through Cultivation Arts!

It’s embarrassing I forgot even momentarily.

“How could I use it when I’ve never…” They say those who’ve eaten meat know. F-rank hunters aren’t F-rank for nothing. Being treated like half-wits even among hunters because we fight with bare hands without a drop of mana.

Well, solved one problem.

Hah, I laughed helplessly and picked up the spear. Then slowly, carefully drew up Inner Force.

In my head, the Jin Family’s Cultivation Arts formula engraved by the system rapidly rewinds, guiding the Inner Force along the set path.

Zzzzt.

The response was immediate.

Ten years of Inner Force crouched in my danjeon spreads throughout my body. I could feel that energy—possible because this is a game, because I’m a martial artist—extending to my four limbs and hundred vessels.

This is…

Strength overflows through my whole body. The vastly enhanced physical abilities and senses gave me ecstasy once again as someone who lived as an F-rank hunter.

To think it could be so different.

I held the spear and unleashed [Jin Family’s Spear Arts]. The 110-pound iron spear no longer felt heavy as it thrust and cut through the air following my will.

Finally.

Ding.

• Remaining successes needed (6 / 100)

The awaited notification started ringing.

Jin Wi-gyeong opened his mouth with a worried face.

“He’s doing well, right?”

“He better be, if he has any shame.”

“With his body not fully healed… will he be alright?”

“Someone who didn’t know would think the Third Young Master was on death’s door. At that level, even spit would heal him.”

“No. You don’t know how weak he was since childhood.”

Wi-peng answered with an exasperated face.

“The spiritual medicines and tonics that went into the Third Young Master’s mouth could fill a room. And have you already forgotten? Last year’s hundred-year snow ginseng theft incident!”

“Well, that…”

“When the Medicinal King Hall Master was raging, saying he’d cut open the Third Young Master’s belly—honestly, while stopping him, I thought: cutting him open would be self-defense.”

Jin Wi-gyeong avoided eye contact.

Though it was eventually settled by draining Jin Wi-gyeong’s private funds, the Medicinal King Hall Master’s anger at the time was tremendous.

“With that much medicine gulped down, I bet he won’t catch even minor illnesses until he dies.”

“Still not enough. Can’t you see at a glance? My heart aches every time I see the youngest. The child’s just bones with a few pieces of meat stuck on. Weak and frail every morning with no strength.”

“No strength?”

Wi-peng suddenly recalled a rumor he’d heard. Among the courtesans of Taiyuan’s red-light district, Jin Tae-kyung was known by the nickname Night King.

Just how much…

Looks like the medicine worked in one way at least. Wi-peng unconsciously raised his arm, trying to imagine the size.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Jin Wi-gyeong sighed looking at the mountain of documents.

“Between the youngest and inside and outside the family, there’s endless things to worry about. Especially… their reaching out is concerning.”

“You mean the Hengshan Sword Sect?”

Hengshan Sword Sect. The weight that name carried was not light.

Decades ago, after some undefeated wandering swordsman hung up his signboard, they grew at a frightening pace, and now had become enough to threaten the Taiyuan Jin Family’s position.

“What could their intention be?”

“I have subordinates investigating.”

Jin Wi-gyeong fingered the letter from Hengshan Sword Sect.

Why? For what purpose do they come? At the end of questions leading to more questions, there was one conclusion.

“Inform each branch in Shanxi Province. Whatever Hengshan Sword Sect’s purpose, be fully prepared.”

This is Murim.

Only those prepared can survive to see tomorrow.